Israel Embassy in Cairo Marks Its First Anniversary

— The Israel Embassy in Cairo is this week marking its first anniversay as Israel’s first diplomatic representation in an Arab country and its staff members say they no longer feel like pioneers but like “normal diplomats.”

During the past year, 5,500 Israelis crossed the Neot Sinai border post in the Sinai on their way to Egypt by road, but only 300 Egyptian tourists have come to Israel this way.

The border crossing point has handled a total of 142,000 passengers, of whom 17,000 were foreign tourists. Most of those using the border facilities were local Arabs from the Sinai going to and from their former homes and places of work in the northern Sinai.